Chapter 317
“Our Baixian Alliance isn’t that generous.”
Mu Qingyan was left speechless by this remark.
“And I’ve heard that if Zheng Zhangmen doesn’t have anything on, he usually arrives early and sits in the corner…”
“Why’s that?”
Mu Qingyan had never heard of this before and couldn’t help but feel a bit curious.
“Word has it that he’s afraid of being too conspicuous if he arrives late and disturbing the teacher’s lecture. That’s why he sits in the corner.”
“…”
Mu Qingyan pursed her lips, remaining silent.
“I’ve never stayed in a sect like this before,” her senior sister said. “If I hadn’t come to the Jiushan Realm, I wouldn’t have known that such a leader existed… I wonder if other sects in the Xuanwei Realm have something similar.”
“Not really.”
Mu Qingyan spoke softly.
“What?”
She shook her head, and her senior sister didn’t press further, continuing, “Since entering the Jiushan Realm, hasn’t our life improved a lot?”
Her senior sister kept talking.
“Senior sister, what exactly are you trying to say?”
Listening to her, Mu Qingyan felt a bit lost.
“I just wanted to say, I know you’re young and miss home, that you can’t sleep at night,” her senior sister glanced at her and suddenly spoke sincerely, “But the Jiushan Realm really isn’t bad. Why don’t you like it?”
After a long silence, Mu Qingyan could only manage a bitter smile and said, “Senior sister, I went to great lengths to leave the Baixian Alliance. How could I possibly miss home?”
Seeing her like this, her senior sister smiled as well and didn’t say more. The two of them arrived at Tiangong Island, where her senior sister took on a task to bring rain to the mortal realm.
Her cultivation level was still low, so she could only take on a task to teach the children on Letu Island how to read and write.
When she returned to their residence, she had a simple ring made of wild grass woven around her wrist.
Her senior sister noticed and asked, “Where did you get that?”
“Those kids gave it to me.”
Her senior sister looked her up and down, then nodded. “It does have a bit of rustic charm.”
Mu Qingyan didn’t respond; she simply walked into her room, sat at her desk, and raised her hand to look at the ring on her wrist.
After a while, she gently took off the ring and examined it for a long time.
Suddenly, she placed it in her palm and pressed her hands together lightly, turning the ring into powder.
She opened the window and gazed out at the misty scenery beyond.
Everything I liked… is gone.
So…
I don’t like it.
(End of this chapter)
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Chapter 295: Confidentiality Agreement
“Alright!”
In the main hall of Tiangong Island, Zheng Fa waved his hand and handed a lengthy document to Sister Zhang.
Sister Zhang picked up the document, read it from start to finish, then looked up at Zheng Fa in silence.
Uncle Pang, standing nearby, craned his neck to take a look. After a while, he seemed more confused than ever and couldn’t help but read aloud:
“‘Confidentiality Agreement for the Golden Elixir Project’”
“Article One: Definition”
“The term ‘Confidential Information’ in this agreement refers to any information provided by Jiushan Sect, hereinafter referred to as Party A, to Party B, in oral, written, or other forms, including but not limited to project data, experimental processes, unpublished research results, etc…”
…
“Article Five: Liability for Breach”
“If Party B violates the confidentiality obligations of this agreement, they will voluntarily endure the calamity of the Heart Demon…”
…
“Article Six: Performance of the Agreement:
1. The effectiveness and performance of this agreement will be guaranteed by the Heart Demon Oath, which is as follows:…”
…
The wording was a bit convoluted, and Uncle Pang took a long time to understand: “So… you plan to use the Heart Demon Oath to ensure that the results of the Golden Elixir Project remain confidential?”
“Yes, Bu Fan, take a look at this agreement and see if there are any issues, especially with the Heart Demon Oath.”
Zheng Fa turned to consult the expert, Lin Bu Fan, a former disciple of the Great Freedom Demon Sect—who believed in making the most of people and resources.
Lin Bu Fan: …This is a big problem. Is this really how the Heart Demon Oath is supposed to be used?
After some thought, he hesitated and said, “The Heart Demon is quite mysterious in the Great Freedom Demon Sect, unlike the inheritance of the Demon Ancestor. Regardless of the cultivation method, one will encounter the Heart Demon. Once the Heart Demon Oath is made, it’s hard to go back on the content of the oath. And this Heart Demon Oath in the agreement… seems to have no flaws.”
Of course, it’s hard to find flaws…
Do you understand what a flawless labor agreement means?
Lin Bu Fan fell silent for a moment before speaking again: “In the past, no one has used the Heart Demon Oath this way…”
Sister Zhang’s expression grew even stranger at this, likely recalling her own Heart Demon.
The Heart Demon has almost been ruined by her junior!
“Is this agreement something everyone has to sign?” Uncle Pang asked with a frown.
“That’s my plan,” Zheng Fa shook his head. “Haven’t we already classified various inheritances?”
“For example, knowledge like the Golden Elixir Project, which is highly classified, requires such an agreement.”
“There’s also the possibility that in the future, if the time is right and a disciple wants to travel outside the Jiushan Realm, they will need this kind of agreement.”
Sister Zhang frowned, “Actually, the sect has its own methods of confidentiality.”
The sects in the Xuanwei Realm aren’t foolish; every larger inheritance has its own confidentiality methods—
The lower-end ones simply hide key information, passing it down through word of mouth between masters and disciples.
The more advanced ones, like the original inheritance of Jiushan Sect, come with various codes or even methods similar to the Heart Demon Oath.
At the highest level, there are those like the Great Freedom Demon Sect, where Lin Bu Fan’s cultivation method clearly tells you the risks, yet you still wouldn’t dare to practice it!
In fact, given the nature of cultivators in the Xuanwei Realm, most people would consciously keep secrets—or rather, cherish their own possessions.
“Senior sister, our research and cultivation methods might be different… We’re studying processes and principles,” Zheng Fa explained, “These things sometimes only represent a way of thinking, which is vastly different from cultivation methods and even unrelated to spiritual power. The previous confidentiality methods weren’t detailed enough.”
Ultimately, it’s easy for people to find loopholes.
“On the other hand, such a rigorous agreement sometimes isn’t just about prevention, but encouragement.”
“Hmm?”
Sister Zhang was taken aback, and both she and Uncle Pang looked over.
“The clearer and more detailed our regulations are, the more everyone knows what can be shared…” Zheng Fa explained, “Clear boundaries are actually much better than vague ones. ‘Punishment unknown leads to unmeasurable fear…’”
After all, having once been in charge of the Law Enforcement Pavilion, Uncle Pang understood immediately.
“Yes, this is also where I hope you can assist Uncle Huang, as the current regulations of the Law Enforcement Pavilion are rather lax… You’ve been in charge for many years, and your experience is invaluable.”
Zheng Fa felt helpless about this; after all, he wasn’t a professional, and even in modern times, the Jiushan Realm had no references to follow, so they could only take it one step at a time.
Uncle Pang nodded, once again marveling, “These methods… I wonder where you came up with them.”
Zheng Fa had always been someone who thought on his feet, but inexplicably, he had developed some reasoning behind it, some of which had even proven effective.
Instead, Sister Zhang began to smile, as if she found it all rather unsurprising.
“Zhang Shizhi? What are you laughing at?”
Sister Zhang glanced at Zheng Fa, who was also looking at her, and explained, “These methods of Zheng Shidi are merely superficial.”
“Hmm?”
“All his ideas actually revolve around one point…”
Zheng Fa looked at Sister Zhang with curiosity.
“Whether it’s these agreements or the previous educational methods, everything is aimed at encouraging and maintaining the research and development of the Jiushan Realm…”
Uncle Pang frowned slightly, slowly nodding.
Zheng Fa couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration—perhaps Sister Zhang truly was the one who understood him best in the Xuanwei Realm.
Given his childhood experiences, he knew he wasn’t a simple person and didn’t really want to believe in human nature—he was aware that some Jiushan disciples even thought he was overly generous and had some grievances.
But he wasn’t like that.
In a way, he just hoped to create a system where contributors and researchers could reap more benefits.
Ultimately, he believed that the distribution of interests could change the social atmosphere.
…
“Qingyan, have you looked over this confidentiality agreement?” Mu Qingyan heard her senior sister’s question and looked down at the document in her hands.
It was a bit convoluted and tedious, but reading it felt almost straightforward, with little ambiguity.
Despite its length, the agreement essentially stated a simple thing: do not casually disclose the research results and methods of the Golden Elixir Project, just with particularly rigorous wording.
“It feels so strict…”
Sister Zhang sighed as she read on.
“No… it’s actually quite lenient.”
Mu Qingyan suddenly said.
“Ah?”
“If you had a leader who was shrouded in mystery and unpredictable, versus one who was clear and never punished without teaching… which one would you prefer?”
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